Americans United - Jon Stewarthttps://www.au.org/tags/jon-stewart
enPerkins’ Parade Of Prevarication: FRC Head Lies About AU’s Lynnhttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/perkins%E2%80%99-parade-of-prevarication-frc-head-lies-about-au%E2%80%99s-lynn
<a href="/about/people/rob-boston">Rob Boston</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">It has been a tough couple of weeks for Family Research Council President Tony Perkins. </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>Yesterday Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council (FRC), issued a rather hysterical <a href="http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=PG12D04">email appeal</a> for funds. No news there. Perkins does that all of the time.</p><p>This particular message, headlined “Help stop secular tyranny,” took a line that’s increasingly popular with the Religious Right these days: “Woe is me! We’re being persecuted.”</p><p>The message contained this bizarre assertion: “Recently, a top liberal attorney – the head of the anti-Christian Americans United for Separation of Church and State – said that COMMUNIST CHINA was a good model for how to deal with conservative Christians.”</p><p>Wait a minute. I work closely with that “top liberal attorney” and head of Americans United. He’s my boss, the Rev. Barry W. Lynn. It’s my job to keep tabs on his comings and goings, and I don’t remember anything like this.</p><p>It turns out Perkins was referencing a recent debate Barry took part in during the National Religious Broadcasters Convention in Nashville. That city is the home of Vanderbilt University, a private institution that requires all campus clubs to be open to all students. Fundamentalist Christians have been complaining about this, saying it will require Christian clubs to admit gay students.</p><p>Barry, noting that Vanderbilt is a private school that is free to determine its own policies, advised the crowd to “stop whining.”</p><p><em>The Christian Post</em> <a href="http://www.christianpost.com/news/christian-clubs-told-to-stop-whining-meet-in-homes-like-in-communist-china-70069/">picked up the story</a> and quoted Barry as saying: “I would suggest that people in this position – to use a phrase on a button in my dentist office that he always wears when he works, it says, ‘stop whining.’ I'd say stop whining here. Why not do what evangelicals do: Go out into the world, out into the community [and] have your meetings, if you have to, off campus. Show your faith [and] meet with students not in a club room somewhere in the university, but in those home churches that kept Christianity alive during the darkest days of communist China.”</p><p>I think it’s pretty clear from the context what Barry was saying here: If Christianity can survive official persecution in China, fundamentalists in America will probably endure, despite this policy at Vanderbilt.</p><p>Perkins surely knows this, but I guess he felt compelled to distort Barry’s meaning to stir up his rabid followers. He may have had another motivation as well: Perkins is trying to draw attention away from his antics. You see, the FRC chieftain has hit a rough patch lately.</p><p>On Friday, Perkins <a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/perkins-questions-about-obamas-birth-certificate-are-legitimate-issue">was slammed</a> for saying that the “birthers,” perhaps the biggest kooks in the right wing’s cacophonous collection of crackpots, have raised “a legitimate issue.”</p><p>A few days before that, Perkins was <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2012/04/23/469291/tony-perkins-mike-and-ike/">ridiculed nationwide</a> when he attacked Mike and Ike, a popular fruit-flavored candy made by the Just Born firm of Bethlehem, Pa. As part of a publicity stunt to spark new interest in the brand, the company’s owners announced that Mike and Ike are <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/12/business/media/mike-and-ike-campaign-concocts-a-dispute.html">splitting up</a> over creative differences.</p><p>Just Born never said Mike and Ike (who, by the way, <em>don’t actually exist</em>) were doing anything other than ending a business arrangement. Perkins immediately assumed it was a case of “gay divorce.”</p><p>On a radio spot, Perkins fulminated, “The duo is staging a gay divorce as part of a new ad campaign to draw in younger customers. In this society, even candy has an agenda!”</p><p>The Perkins salvo led to an amusing response from the Comedy Channel’s Jon Stewart, who <a href="http://www.mediaite.com/tv/jon-stewart-mocks-tony-perkins-remarks-about-gay-ads-through-perkins-cam-%E2%80%94-which-is-just-a-giant-penis/">mocked Perkins</a> while lurking behind a “Perkins Cam” that took the shape of a giant penis. (Beware: If you are offended by off-color humor, best skip this clip.)</p><p>Perkins also came under fire after he weighed in on the Secret Service prostitution scandal. According to Perkins, the fiasco was caused by the decision to drop the military’s “don’t ask/don’t tell” policy on gay service members.</p><p>“You cannot maintain moral order if you are willing to allow a few things to slide,” Perkins intoned.</p><p>The connection was so strained that <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/04/17/1084232/-Warning-The-logic-contained-in-this-diary-may-break-your-brain">one blogger</a> observed, “I am not sure how to react to this. It makes absolutely no sense at all, but apparently, gay people – the mere presence of us – causes straight people to do all kinds of heterosexual naughty stuff. I don't know. I am trying but it hurts my brain too much to attempt to make sense of this.”</p><p>So, yes, it has been a tough couple of weeks for Tony Perkins. But that’s nobody’s fault but his. He said crazy stuff and is being called on it. Going psycho on Barry Lynn won’t change that.</p><p>P.S. One more time, Tony: Americans United is not an “anti-Christian” organization. As you know, Barry Lynn is an ordained Christian minister. AU supports the right of all Americans to join the house of worship of their choice (Christian or non-Christian) or to eschew religion entirely. We simply insist that the government stay neutral on theological matters. If that makes us “anti-Christian,” we’re in good company because the Founders believed that too. </p></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/descriptions-and-activities-religious-right-groups">Descriptions and Activities of Religious Right Groups</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/tony-perkins">Tony Perkins</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/family-research-council">Family Research Council</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/barry-w-lynn">Barry W. Lynn</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/mike-and-ike">Mike and Ike</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/jon-stewart">Jon Stewart</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/daily-show-0">Daily Show</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/birthers">birthers</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/china">China</a></span></div></div>Wed, 02 May 2012 14:25:30 +0000Rob Boston7054 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/perkins%E2%80%99-parade-of-prevarication-frc-head-lies-about-au%E2%80%99s-lynn#commentsAhlquist Is Awesome!: Standup Student In R.I. Stays Calm, Despite Vicious Attackshttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/ahlquist-is-awesome-standup-student-in-ri-stays-calm-despite-vicious
<a href="/about/people/simon-brown">Simon Brown</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">It has gotten so ridiculous that several local florists wouldn’t deliver flowers to Ahlquist’s house.</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>It amazes me that so much hatred and anger lies just below the surface of many people, and that it takes so little to bring out vile words and actions. </p><p>My colleague Rob Boston <a href="http://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/banner-banished-court-strikes-down-ri-school-prayer-display">previously wrote</a> about Jessica Ahlquist, a 16-year-old high school student who filed suit to have a prayer banner removed from Cranston High School West in Cranston, R.I.</p><p>In a 40-page decision issued Jan. 11, a judge dismissed school officials’ claims that Ahlquist, who identifies as an atheist, had no right to challenge the banner. He then went on to explain why this official school prayer, which has been hanging in the gym since 1963, is patently unconstitutional.</p><p>Sadly, even though the law is on Ahlquist’s side, some in her community have continued <a href="http://cranston.patch.com/articles/ahlquist-fight-over-mural-despite-harrassment-threats-worth-it">attacking her viciously</a>. State Rep. Peter Polombo on Jan. 16 called Alhquist “an evil little thing,” a “clapping seal” and a “pawn star” on a talk radio show, according to a report on CranstonPatch.com.</p><p>Ahlquist has also been ripped to shreds across the Internet. Among the comments that are repeatable, a Twitter user said “this girl honestly needs to be punched in the face.” An anonymous commenter posted Ahlquist’s home address on the <em>Providence Journal</em>'s website.</p><p>She even received threats of physical harm and Cranston Police said they are investigating some threats directed at her on the Internet, according to CranstonPatch.</p><p>It has gotten so ridiculous that several local florists <a href="http://www.ksdk.com/news/article/298217/28/Florists-refuse-to-deliver-flowers-to-Jessica-Ahlquist">wouldn’t deliver flowers</a> to Ahlquist’s house.</p><p>"We refused the order because we really don't want to cross lines," said Raymond Santilli, owner of Flowers by Santilli, according to reports from WJAR in Cranston and CNN. "If I send flowers there, somebody may get upset with us and retaliate to us.”</p><p>Another florist who refused an order for Ahlquist, Marina Plowman of Twins Florist, agreed.</p><p>"I just chose not to do it,” she said, according to the WJAR/CNN report. “Nothing personal against her or anybody, it was a choice that I made. It was my right to do that, so I did.”</p><p>For her part, Ahlquist has displayed remarkable poise and courage.</p><p>"Even if lots of kids in school hate you, even if there's nasty comments on the Internet, it's important to stand up for something you believe in," Ahlquist said, according to CranstonPatch. "I could have said nothing but I did what I believe in and I'm glad I did what I did. I've had to deal with a lot of harassment and negative flak from people who disagree with my views and opinions, but it's all worth it."</p><p>There’s clearly a lesson here. I spoke recently by phone with someone who identified himself as a member of the Tea Party. It was pretty obvious that he and I didn’t agree and we were firm in our opposing viewpoints.</p><p>The conversation wasn’t very productive, but I listened to what he had to say and I responded. I didn’t curse. He didn’t curse. At the end, he even thanked me for being civil and told me to have a nice day. I wished him the same.</p><p>Disagreements are fine and, in fact, should be encouraged in a democracy. But there’s absolutely no reason we can’t remain calm and civil. For people to act the way they have toward Ahlquist, who isn’t even legally an adult, is both shocking and disgusting. There is no excuse for it.</p><p>Ahlquist’s story reminds me of a sign I saw at the Stephen Colbert/Jon Stewart “Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear” in Washington, DC in October 2010. </p><p>“I may disagree with you,” the sign said, “but I’m pretty sure you’re not Hitler.”</p><p>That sign is something we should all keep in mind. You can disagree with Jessica Ahlquist and what she stands for, but it’s safe to say she’s not Hitler. A little perspective would do some people a lot of good.</p></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/school-prayer">School Prayer</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/jon-stewart">Jon Stewart</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/stephen-colbert">Stephen Colbert</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/jessica-ahlquist">Jessica Ahlquist</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/peter-polombo">Peter Polombo</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Location:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/our-work/grassroots/rhode-island">Rhode Island</a></span></div></div>Fri, 20 Jan 2012 17:46:00 +0000Simon Brown6674 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/ahlquist-is-awesome-standup-student-in-ri-stays-calm-despite-vicious#commentsBarton Baloney: New York Times Shines Light On Religious Right ‘Historian’https://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/barton-baloney-new-york-times-shines-light-on-religious-right-%E2%80%98historian%E2%80%99
<a href="/about/people/joseph-l-conn">Joseph L. Conn</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">“The problem with David Barton is that there’s a lot of truth in what he says. But the end product is a lot of distortions, half-truths and twisted history.”
--Derek H. Davis</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>David Barton is the scariest Religious Right leader you never heard of.</p>
<p>But that’s beginning to change. Today, <em>The New York Times</em> offered readers <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/05/us/politics/05barton.html">a front-page report</a> on Barton, a “self-taught historian who is described by several conservative presidential aspirants as a valued adviser and a source of historical and biblical justification for their policies.”</p>
<p><em>Times</em> reporter Erik Eckholm tells us that Barton gives some 400 speeches a year and is “so popular that evangelical pastors travel across states to hear his rapid-fire presentations on how the United States was founded as a Christian nation and is on the road to ruin, thanks to secularists and the Supreme Court, or on the lost political power of the clergy.”</p>
<p><em>The Times</em> says prominent political leaders such as Mike Huckabee, Newt Gingrich and Representative Michele Bachmann seek Barton's advice and praise his take on history.</p>
<p>There’s just one problem with that: Barton’s history is bunk.</p>
<p>As church-state scholar Derek H. Davis told <em>The Times</em>, “The problem with David Barton is that there’s a lot of truth in what he says. But the end product is a lot of distortions, half-truths and twisted history.”</p>
<p>That’s putting it mildly. Barton’s goal is to turn America into a fundamentalist Christian theocracy where folks with his faith perspective rule the roost and everyone else is, at best, a second-class citizen. And he’s using a skewed sectarian version of history to move us toward that goal.</p>
<p>Barton’s degree is in Christian education from Oral Roberts University. He isn’t a historian; he’s a Religious Right propagandist.</p>
<p>As <em>The Times</em> mentions, we at Americans United have been on Barton’s case for years.</p>
<p>My AU colleague Rob Boston wrote <a href="http://www.au.org/media/church-and-state/archives/1993/sects-lies-and-videotape.pdf">one of the first exposes </a>of the tall-tale-telling Texan back in 1993. And we've done <a href="http://www.au.org/media/church-and-state/archives/2009/07/texas-tall-tale.html">others since then</a>. Unfortunately, Barton’s package of prevarications continues to spread. (As he noted in <a href="http://www.thedailyshow.com/">an interview with</a> Jon Stewart of “The Daily Show,” Barton has even worked on the social studies standards in Texas and California.)</p>
<p>Bottom line: America was founded as a nation where religion and government are kept separate for the benefit of both. Those of us who want to preserve that critically important constitutional distinction must stand ready to refute the David Bartons of the world and warn Americans of the Religious Right’s insidious agenda.</p>
</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/fighting-religious-right">Fighting the Religious Right</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/david-barton">David Barton</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/jon-stewart">Jon Stewart</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/michele-bachmann">Michele Bachmann</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/mike-huckabee">Mike Huckabee</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/newt-gingrich">Newt Gingrich</a></span></div></div>Thu, 05 May 2011 15:46:10 +0000Joseph L. Conn1640 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/barton-baloney-new-york-times-shines-light-on-religious-right-%E2%80%98historian%E2%80%99#commentsCorrecting The (Historical) Record: Jon Stewart Debunks Huckabee/Barton ‘Christian Nation’ Mythologyhttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/correcting-the-historical-record-jon-stewart-debunks-huckabeebarton-
<a href="/about/people/rob-boston">Rob Boston</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Calling David Barton a &#039;historian&#039; is an insult to historians everywhere.</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>Recently, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee told a gathering of Religious Right devotees that Americans should be forced to listen to Religious Right activist David Barton “<a href="http://blogs.alternet.org/speakeasy/2011/03/30/mike-huckabee-says-he-wants-americans-to-be-indoctrinated-at-gunpoint/">at gunpoint</a>.”</p>
<p>For those of you who aren’t familiar with him, Barton is Texan who makes his living selling books, DVDs and other materials asserting that the United States was founded to be a “Christian nation” and that separation of church and state is a myth. Gullible right-wing fundamentalists snatch this stuff up by the truckload.</p>
<p>Huckabee’s violent imagery created quite a stir on progressive blogs, but I’m not so worked up over his choice of words. Fired up by an adoring crowd, Huckabee employed an over-the-top rhetorical flourish, something a lot of speakers do sooner or later. The gun reference troubles me less than Huckabee’s continued promotion of Barton, a theocratic huckster whose goal is to rewrite American history.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.au.org/media/church-and-state/archives/1993/sects-lies-and-videotape.pdf"></a></p>
<p>I’ve been writing about Barton (and debunking his nonsense) <a href="http://www.au.org/media/church-and-state/archives/1993/sects-lies-and-videotape.pdf">since 1993</a>. I don’t mean to brag, but I believe I was the first person to take a hard look at the foolishness Barton peddles. I’ve kept it up since then, even though, alarmingly, Barton has only become <a href="http://www.au.org/media/church-and-state/archives/2010/09/unreality-show.html">more prominent</a>. In fact,<a href="http://www.au.org/media/church-and-state/archives/2009/07/texas-tall-tale.html"> he helped write</a> the infamous Texas Social Studies standards.</p>
<p>Over the years, I’ve also prodded reporters and columnists to take a closer look at Barton, with varying degrees of success. I was pleased, therefore, to see Jon Stewart challenge some of Barton’s assertions on “The Daily Show” earlier this week.</p>
<p>Stewart <a href="http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-april-6-2011/exclusive---mike-huckabee-extended-interview-pt--1">interviewed Huckabee </a>and asked him several questions about Barton. I was especially gratified to hear Stewart point out that Barton is not a legitimate historian because Huckabee continues to insist that the man is. In fact, during the broadcast, Huckabee called Barton “very much a historian.”</p>
<p>But that is simply not true and is an insult to historians everywhere. Barton has a degree in Christian Education from Oral Roberts University. He did not earn a degree in History. Now, it is certainly possible that Barton has read a lot of history. So have I. That doesn’t make either one of us historians. It makes us guys who like to read history.</p>
<p>During the interview, the topic of separation of church and state came up. Huckabee trotted out the old line about how that phrase comes from a letter of Thomas Jefferson’s (and he managed to get the date of the letter wrong) and isn’t in the Constitution. A few minutes later, he was talking about the Declaration of Independence and its Deistic reference to “the Creator.”</p>
<p>Here Huckabee employed a classic Bartonesque bait and switch: The Constitution doesn’t mention God or Christianity, so start talking about something else. But Stewart was ready for it. He asked Huckabee why, if the Founders wanted to endorse Christianity, they didn’t simply put that in the Constitution front and center? Huckabee really didn’t have an answer for that, so he simply dodged the question.</p>
<p>Stewart referred to Barton as “a guy with an agenda.” That’s exactly right. His agenda is to rewrite American history. As Stewart pointed out, Barton is like a creationist. The creationists don’t like what science says, so they made up a new “science.” Barton and his ilk don’t like the fact that history shows our government was meant to be officially secular, so they came up with a new history.</p>
<p>The problem is, it’s not history. It’s not even wishful thinking – it’s a deliberate attempt to mislead people. Barton presses his bogus history into play for political purposes. He wants right-wing fundamentalist Christians to believe that the grand and glorious “Christian nation” bequeathed to them by the Founders has been stolen by secularists. How do they get it back? By voting for the people Barton tells them to vote for – right-wing zealots every time.</p>
<p>Stewart has a large audience, and I’m glad he’s taking a closer look at Barton. I just wish others in the media would follow his lead.</p>
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</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/fighting-religious-right">Fighting the Religious Right</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/david-barton">David Barton</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/jon-stewart">Jon Stewart</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/mike-huckabee">Mike Huckabee</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/daily-show">The Daily Show</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/thomas-jefferson">thomas jefferson</a></span></div></div>Fri, 08 Apr 2011 14:33:51 +0000Rob Boston2183 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/correcting-the-historical-record-jon-stewart-debunks-huckabeebarton-#commentsBully Boys: Arkansas Extremist Has Recanted, But Religious Right Gang Is Still Lurking Behind The Schoolhttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/bully-boys-arkansas-extremist-has-recanted-but-religious-right-gang-is
<a href="/about/people/bathija">Sandhya Bathija</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>This weekend, I’ll be joining the large crowds taking over Washington for Jon Stewart’s “Rally to Restore Sanity.”</p>
<p>I don’t really know what to expect of the event, or if it will actually “restore sanity.” But I do know Stewart’s title choice couldn’t be more perfect, especially when I consider the many people in this country who have taken to saying and doing really idiotic things lately.</p>
<p>A good example of this is Clint McCance, a school board member in an Arkansas community who <a href="http://advocate.com/News/News_Features/Arkansas_School_Board_Member_Thinks_Fags_Should_Die/">used his Facebook page</a> last week to encourage gay people to kill themselves.</p>
<p>Responding to a call to wear purple Oct. 20 in support of five LGBT youth who had killed themselves, reportedly because of bullying, McCance, vice president of the Midland School District in Pleasant Plains, Ark., wrote the following:</p>
<p>"Seriously they want me to wear purple because five queers killed themselves. The only way im wearin it for them is if they all commit suicide. I cant believe the people of this world have gotten this stupid. We are honoring the fact that they sinned and killed thereselves because of their sin. REALLY PEOPLE."</p>
<p>McCance, responding to comments on his post, cited religious reasons in part for his hatred of gay kids.</p>
<p>“I would disown my kids [if] they were gay,” he wrote. “They will not be welcome at my home or in my vicinity. I will absolutely run them off. Of course my kids will know better. My kids will have solid christian beliefs. See it infects everyone."</p>
<p>Soon after McCance posted his comments, several education, religious and gay rights organizations spoke out forcefully.</p>
<p>“Clint McCance has put a face on the hate that devastates our young people,” says Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. "McCance shouldn't be allowed near children, let alone managing their education. We call for his immediate resignation from the school board."</p>
<p>In response to the wave of protests, McCance appeared on CNN’s “AC360” with Anderson Cooper and announced his resignation. He also issued an apology.</p>
<p>"The only thing I can do is extend my apologies for my poor speech," he <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/10/29/AR2010102900532.html">said</a>. "I don't wish death on anyone."</p>
<p>McCance did the right thing in <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/10/29/clint-mccance-arkansas-sc_n_775828.html">resigning</a>. We can only hope he has truly come to his senses.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, we can’t say the same for many Religious Right zealots who don’t seem to believe statements like McCance’s are a problem – after all, this school official is just asserting his free speech rights, right?</p>
<p>That’s what the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF), the Family Research Council (FRC) and other Religious Right groups seem to believe.</p>
<p>Religious Right groups oppose most anti-bullying policies, claiming that such protections might hinder their freedom to speak out against “sin” in keeping with the commands of their faith. In other words, they want students to have the right to use hateful language if they want, especially if it’s religion-based.</p>
<p>The ADF’s David J. Hacker has <a href="http://blog.speakupmovement.org/university/freedom-of-speech/u-s-department-of-education-sends-conflicting-messages-about-speech/">criticized</a> the Obama administration for pushing for anti-bullying measures, saying it infringes on free speech and will lead to more litigation.</p>
<p>Tony Perkins, FRC’s president, said anti-bullying policies are unnecessary because bullying of gay students is not the cause for harm.</p>
<p>"These young people who identify as gay or lesbian, we know from the social science that they have a higher propensity to depression or suicide because of that internal conflict," said Perkins.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/10/27/tony-perkins-gay-teen-suicide_n_774580.html">According to Perkins</a>, homosexuality is "abnormal,” and kids know it, which leads them to despair – not the bullying.</p>
<p>Talk about senseless. Hacker and Perkins want to continue their gay-bashing rants so much that they are okay if it harms students in the process.</p>
<p>That’s not okay. We’re all for freedom of speech and freedom of religion, but there’s a difference between free expression and intimidation -- religiously grounded or not. A public school is not the place to spew hateful rhetoric. All students need to feel safe and welcome, not subjected to vitriol and harassment. It’s plain and simple.</p>
<p>P.S.: We are proud to see Americans United Arkansas Chapter President Bob Klein, pastor of the Unitarian-Universalist Church of Little Rock, <a href="http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/10/29/religious-leaders-speak-on-bullying-mccance-resignation">stand up</a> this morning with the Arkansas Interfaith Alliance in support of bullied gay and lesbian teens. He was joined by several other religious leaders who believe using religion to expand hate is “unconscionable.”</p>
</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/fighting-religious-right">Fighting the Religious Right</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/alliance-defense-fund-adf">Alliance Defense Fund (ADF)</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/anderson-cooper">Anderson Cooper</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/anti-bullying">Anti-bullying</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/arkansas">Arkansas</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/bullying">Bullying</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/clint-mccance">Clint McCance</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/david-j-hacker">David J. Hacker</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/FRC">Family Research Council</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/freedom-religion">Freedom of Religion</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/freedom-speech">Freedom of Speech</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/gay-and-lesbian-teens">gay and lesbian teens</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/human-rights-campaign">Human Rights Campaign</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/joe-solmonese">Joe Solmonese</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/jon-stewart">Jon Stewart</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/rally-restore-sanity">Rally to Restore Sanity</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/religious-discrimination">religious discrimination</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/tony-perkins">Tony Perkins</a></span></div></div>Fri, 29 Oct 2010 19:23:06 +0000Sandhya Bathija2476 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/bully-boys-arkansas-extremist-has-recanted-but-religious-right-gang-is#comments